BULLIPHANT: Bart Maris – Ruben Verbruggen – Thijs Troch – Gonçalo Almeida – Friso van Wijck
Sometimes they play with the punch of a quick-tempered bull, other times they sound like a spacey group of kind elephants. Caused by its name and cutting-edge interaction, Bulliphant sets a strong image of natural phenomena. This is how the music of Hightailing, their debut album from 2017 recorded at De Singer and out on the Portuguese label Creative Sources, came to life. The pandemic postponed their follow-up and the tour, but now they’re ready to start over again.
Bulliphant’s Portugese, dutch based, bass player Gonçalo Almeida opened the Oorstof series this year with an amazing set of Hydra Ensemble at Ancienne Belgique and Belgian piano player Thijs Troch just presented his split album with Nils Vermeulen (Smolikas) at Klankhaven. In Bulliphant they are joined by two mainstays of the Belgian adventurous music scene Bart Maris (trumpet) and Ruben Verbruggen (alto- and baritone sax), and the prolific dutch drummer Friso van Wijck.
Drummer Lukas Jouck, reed player Charel Maes (Mr. Chong) and guitarist Christof Götzen met for the first time while studying at the Antwerp conservatory under the guidance of guitarist Frederik Leroux. Already early on Jouck, Maes and Götzen shared a passion for free improvised music that inspires them to push the boundaries of the academic canon. Due to unforeseen circumstances Götzen will be replaced by reed player Adia Vanheerentals and guitarist Goncalo Oliveira. Jouck, Maes, Vanheerentals and Oliveira earlier played together at Walter coached by Joe McPhee.